Apple's spaceship headquarters delayed, won't land until 2016

Apple's new spaceship-like headquarters will be landing even later than planned. The new construction was intended to be ready by mid-2015, but now reports claim it's unlikely to be inhabitable before mid-2016.

Apple's new spaceship-like headquarters will be landing even later than planned. The new construction was intended to be ready by mid-2015, but now reports claim it's unlikely to be inhabitable before mid-2016.

The reason for the delay appears to be an environmental impact report being carried out by the city council. Even if the council approves the project following the report, there still may be delays if residents file legal challenges.

Apple had planned to break ground in 2013, but this delay means Apple is unlikely to be able to begin construction of its 176-acre campus until 2014.

"They could conceivably break ground in 2013, but only if everything goes smoothly," Cupertino city manager David Brandt told Bloomberg.

The new timetable is noted in a new document submitted by Apple to the local council. This latest document includes no major changes to the design of the building originally presented to the council by Apple's late CEO Steve Jobs. However revisions to the original plans show that Apple can complete the project without having to truck out any dirt, explains the Bloomberg report. The revision also shows that Apple wants to move its auditorium farther away from the road than in the original plan. Apple has also upped the number of parking spaced from 10,500 to 14,200, and says it will triple the amount of landscaped area because the majority of parking spaces will be underground. The campus will include 7,000 trees.

Bloomberg notes that at 2.8 million square feet the new Apple headquarters will be one of the largest buildings in the world.